Saturday, July 31, 2010

In 1966, the naturalist Eric. R Alfred published his monograph, The Fresh-water Fishes of Singapore. In it, he noted the presence of a species of goby, which he identified as Stigmatogobius poicilosoma. This identification was followed in A Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Singapore, where the "pond goby" was listed as Stigmatogobius poecilosoma. However, closer examination of the specimens that Alfred had looked at revealed that there was a misidentification; the "pond goby" found in Singapore was actually 2 species of stream goby, the big-mouth stream goby (Pseudogobiopsis oligactis) and Siam stream goby (Pseudogobiopsis siamensis). And to further muddle the situation, the fishes in the photos published in A Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Singapore were actually Oriental river gobies.

It is possible that the Oriental river goby has played a part in the decline and apparent disappearance of the stream gobies from freshwater habitats in Singapore.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Once classified as true badgers (Melinae, F. Mustelidae), the 2 species of stink badger (Mydaus spp.) are now thought to be the sole Asian representatives of the otherwise entirely American skunks (F. Mephitidae).

Sunday, July 18, 2010

This elderly female was the last survivor of the troop which once inhabited the forests of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. One day in October 1987, she left the safety of the trees and descended to the ground, where she was set upon and fatally mauled by a pack of dogs.

In the 1920s, this monkey was reported to be present in various parts of Singapore, including Changi, Tampines, Bukit Timah, Pandan and Tuas. Today, the species still barely clings on in the forests of the Central Catchment Area, where at least 40 are known to roam the MacRitchie and Lower Peirce Reservoir areas.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

A large tree branch had fallen on an SBS Transit double decker, resulting in a massive traffic jam along the AYE towards the city. STOMPer Hisyam sent in a video of the accident scene and said: "It is shocking to see the fallen branch on the bus like that."

The fallen branch is reportedly blocking up all the lanes on the expressway, except for the extreme right lane, and causing a tailback all the way to the Jurong Town Hall Road.

"It took me an hour just to get past the bus and the branch, because everyone was stuck in grid lock traffic.

"This was near the South Buona Vista flyover and it was a massive jam for a major expressway like the AYE.

"I just hope the authorities have cleared up the mess already so that traffic can flow smoothly."